oxepins and Disease-Models--Animal

Drug resistance in gastrointestinal nematodes is a severe problem for sheep farmers. With the recent introduction of monepantel (Zolvix®) and of derquantel plus abamectin (Startect®) in New Zealand, two new anthelmintic classes will be available to control gastrointestinal nematodes. While monepantel covers a broad spectrum of nematodes, the efficacy of derquantel is mid-spectrum and limited to a smaller number of species and stages. The combination of derquantel and abamectin allows to enlarge the spectrum and to cover most parasitic nematodes in sheep. However, the question remained open, if the efficacy of the new anthelmintics can be maintained in the presence of severe anthelmintic resistance. The present study investigated the efficacy against adult stages of a multi-resistant Haemonchus contortus isolate. While monepantel resulted in 100 % elimination, derquantel in combination with abamectin resulted in efficacies <95 % (faecal egg counts and worm counts).

Topics: Aminoacetonitrile; Animals; Anthelmintics; Disease Models, Animal; Feces; Haemonchiasis; Haemonchus; Indoles; Ivermectin; Oxepins; Parasite Egg Count; Sheep; Treatment Outcome

Neuronal apoptosis chiefly contributes to the cell loss following traumatic brain injury (TBI). CGP3466B is a compound related to the anti-Parkinsonism drug R-(-)-deprenyl. Previous studies have illuminated anti-apoptosis effects of CGP3466B in different cell lines, but the underlying mechanisms have not been fully elucidated. Mammalian sterile 20 (STE20)-like kinase1 (Mst1) is a core component of the Hippo signaling pathway. Protein-L-isoaspartate (D-aspartate) O-methyltransferase (PCMT1) is an enzyme that repairs damaged L-isoaspartyl residues in proteins. The present study was performed to investigate the neuroprotective effects of CGP3466B and to determine a potential PCMT1/Mst1 neuronal anti-apoptotic pathway after TBI. Double immunofluorescence staining demonstrated that PCMT1 and Mst1 are co-located in neurons. Administration of CGP3466B improved neurological function, downregulated the ROS level and alleviated brain edema at 24 h after TBI. CGP3466B alleviates neuronal apoptosis by increasing PCMT1 expression and subsequently inhibiting MST1 activation, resulting in changing the expression levels of Bax, Bcl-2 and active-caspase3. The TUNEL staining results also support the anti-apoptosis effects of CGP3466B. The anti-apoptotic effects of CGP3466B were abolished by chelerythrine, an Mst1 activator, without changing PCMT1 levels. In conclusion, our findings suggest CGP3466B may have a promising therapeutic potential by modulating PCMT1/Mst1 signaling pathway after TBI injury.

Topics: Animals; Apoptosis; Apoptosis Regulatory Proteins; Brain Edema; Brain Injuries, Traumatic; Disease Models, Animal; Gene Expression Regulation; Hepatocyte Growth Factor; Neurons; Neuroprotective Agents; Oxepins; Protein Binding; Protein D-Aspartate-L-Isoaspartate Methyltransferase; Protein Transport; Proteolysis; Proto-Oncogene Proteins; Rats; Reactive Oxygen Species; Signal Transduction

Mutations in LAMA2 cause a severe form of congenital muscular dystrophy, called MDC1A. Studies in mouse models have shown that transgenic expression of a designed, miniaturized form of the extracellular matrix molecule agrin ('mini-agrin') or apoptosis inhibition by either overexpression of Bcl2 or application of the pharmacological substance omigapil can ameliorate the disease. Here, we tested whether mini-agrin and anti-apoptotic agents act on different pathways and thus exert additive benefits in MDC1A mouse models. By combining mini-agrin with either transgenic Bcl2 expression or oral omigapil application, we show that the ameliorating effect of mini-agrin, which acts by restoring the mechanical stability of muscle fibres and, thereby, reduces muscle fibre breakdown and concomitant fibrosis, is complemented by apoptosis inhibitors, which prevent the loss of muscle fibres. Treatment of mice with both agents results in improved muscle regeneration and increased force. Our results show that the combination of mini-agrin and anti-apoptosis treatment has beneficial effects that are significantly bigger than the individual treatments and suggest that such a strategy might also be applicable to MDC1A patients.

Topics: Agrin; Animals; Disease Models, Animal; Histocytochemistry; Immunohistochemistry; Laminin; Mice; Mice, Transgenic; Muscles; Muscular Dystrophies; Neuromuscular Agents; Oxepins; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2; Rodent Diseases; Survival Analysis

Temporal lobe seizures can induce the proliferation and abnormal migration of newly generated dentate granule cells, but little is known about the molecular mechanisms that govern these pathological events. Reelin and DISC1 (disrupted-in-schizophrenia 1) are proteins that play a regulatory role in the maturation and integration of new neurons in the developing and adult brain. In this study, we examined whether amygdala kindling results in aberrant neurogenesis and altered expression of reelin and DISC1 in the adult dentate gyrus. Using doublecortin immunohistochemistry, we found that short-term kindling (i.e., 30 electrical stimulations) significantly increased the number of immature neurons in the dentate subgranular zone (SGZ), whereas long-term kindling (i.e., 99 electrical stimulations) did not. However, doublecortin-labeled neurons in long-term kindled rats showed greater dendritic complexity than they did in short-term kindled or control rats. We also found that long-term kindling decreased the number of reelin-positive cells and decreased DISC1 expression in the dentate granule cell layer and subgranular zone. Interestingly, kindling-induced changes in reelin and DISC1 expression coincided with the appearance of ectopically located Prox1-labeled granule cells in the hilus. These effects occurred independently of alterations in granule cell layer length, dentate volume, or the number of hilar neurons. Taken together, these findings suggest a novel role for DISC1 in the pathophysiology of temporal lobe epilepsy and further suggest that changes in reelin and DISC1 expression may contribute to aberrant neurogenesis in the kindling model.

Topics: Animals; Cell Adhesion Molecules, Neuronal; Dentate Gyrus; Disease Models, Animal; Doublecortin Protein; Down-Regulation; Electric Stimulation; Epilepsy; Extracellular Matrix Proteins; Kindling, Neurologic; Male; Naphthalenes; Nerve Tissue Proteins; Neurogenesis; Neurons; Oxepins; Rats; Rats, Long-Evans; Reelin Protein; Serine Endopeptidases; Time Factors

Here, we investigate the effects of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) on angiogenesis, neurogenesis, neurotrophic factor expression, and neurological functional outcome after stroke. Wild-type and eNOS knock-out (eNOS-/-) mice were subjected to permanent occlusion of the right middle cerebral artery. eNOS-/- mice exhibited more severe neurological functional deficit after stroke than wild-type mice. Decreased subventricular zone (SVZ) progenitor cell proliferation and migration, measured using bromodeoxyuridine, Ki-67, nestin, and doublecortin immunostaining in the ischemic brain, and decreased angiogenesis, as demonstrated by reduced endothelial cell proliferation, vessel perimeter, and vascular density in the ischemic border, were evident in eNOS-/- mice compared with wild-type mice. eNOS-deficient mice also exhibited a reduced response to vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-induced angiogenesis in a corneal assay. ELISAs showed that eNOS-/- mice have decreased brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) expression but not VEGF and basic fibroblast growth factor in the ischemic brain compared with wild-type mice. In addition, cultured SVZ neurosphere formation, proliferation, telomerase activity, and neurite outgrowth but not cell viability from eNOS-/- mice were significantly reduced compared with wild-type mice. BDNF treatment of SVZ cells derived from eNOS-/- mice restored the decreased neurosphere formation, proliferation, neurite outgrowth, and telomerase activity in cultured eNOS(-/-) SVZ neurospheres. SVZ explant cell migration also was significantly decreased in eNOS-/- mice compared with wild-type mice. These data indicate that eNOS is not only a downstream mediator for VEGF and angiogenesis but also regulates BDNF expression in the ischemic brain and influences progenitor cell proliferation, neuronal migration, and neurite outgrowth and affects functional recovery after stroke.

Topics: Animals; Blood Pressure; Brain; Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor; Bromodeoxyuridine; Cell Count; Cell Movement; Cell Proliferation; Corneal Neovascularization; Disease Models, Animal; Doublecortin Domain Proteins; Endothelial Cells; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; Gene Expression; Immunohistochemistry; Infarction, Middle Cerebral Artery; Intermediate Filament Proteins; Ki-67 Antigen; Male; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Mice, Knockout; Microtubule-Associated Proteins; Naphthalenes; Nerve Tissue Proteins; Nestin; Neurites; Neurologic Examination; Neuropeptides; Nitric Oxide Synthase Type III; Oxepins; Psychomotor Performance; Recovery of Function; Telomerase; Time Factors; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A

Approximately 15% of child-bearing women develop postpartum depression (PPD), and many women with PPD experience anxious symptoms. It has been proposed that PPD is precipitated by the dramatic decline in reproductive hormones that occurs just after childbirth. To examine this hypothesis, ovariectomized female Sprague-Dawley rats underwent a hormone-simulated pregnancy (HSP) regimen; during the subsequent hormone withdrawal period, rats were tested in the forced swim test or elevated plus-maze, animal models of depression and anxiety, respectively. The HSP regimen consisted of injections with progesterone and escalating doses of estradiol benzoate for 22 days; control rats received daily vehicle injections. One, two, four or seven days after the last hormone injection, separate groups of rats were tested once on either the forced swim test or the elevated plus-maze. To examine any hormone withdrawal-induced changes in activity levels, spontaneous locomotor activity was measured at the same time points. At 2 and 4 days after the last hormone injection, HSP-treated females displayed significant increases in immobility relative to vehicle-treated females in the forced swim test. Behavior on the elevated plus-maze did not differ between the HSP and control groups at any of the withdrawal time points. There were also no differences in spontaneous locomotor activity between the HSP and control females at any of the withdrawal time points. The results of this study suggest that postpartum hormone withdrawal may contribute to depressive symptoms experienced after giving birth, and that the HSP-hormone withdrawal protocol may provide a useful animal model of PPD.

Topics: Animals; Behavior, Animal; Depression, Postpartum; Disease Models, Animal; Estradiol; Female; Maternal Behavior; Maze Learning; Motor Activity; Naphthalenes; Ovariectomy; Oxepins; Progesterone; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Substance Withdrawal Syndrome; Swimming; Time Factors

There is an accumulating body of evidence that apoptosis is involved in the motor neuron death that occurs in ALS, and in the (G93A) mSOD1 transgenic mouse model (mSOD1 mice). CGP 3466B, a tricyclic propargylamine structurally related to (-)-deprenyl, was found to inhibit apoptosis in a wide variety of in vitro and in vivo models. We therefore studied the effect of CGP 3466B in mSOD1 mice.. As the effect of CGP 3466B was previously reported to have a bell-shaped curve, we performed a dose-ranging study. High-copy G93A mSOD1 mice were treated subcutaneously from the age of 50 days until death with four concentrations of CGP 3466B (0.39 microg kg(-1), 3.9 microg kg(-1), 39 microg kg(-1), and 390 microg kg(-1)). Behavioural tests were performed daily to determine disease onset, disease progression and survival. At the age of 110 days, two mice per group were sacrificed for histopathological analysis of the lumbar ventral horn and for semiquantitative analysis of motor neuron number.. We observed no effect on disease onset, disease progression, or survival of the mice. We also did not observe a significant effect on the number of motor neurons due to CGP 3466B.. We conclude that in high-copy G93A mSOD1 mice, chronic subcutaneous treatment with CGP 3466B offers no clinical benefit.

Topics: Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis; Animals; Disease Models, Animal; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Female; Humans; Male; Mice; Mice, Inbred BALB C; Mice, Transgenic; Motor Neurons; Oxepins; Superoxide Dismutase

Apoptosis and mitochondrial dysfunction are thought to be involved in the aetiology of neurodegenerative diseases. We have tested an orally active anti-apoptotic molecule (CGP 3466B) that binds to glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) in an animal model with motoneuron degeneration, i.e. a mouse mutant with progressive motor neuronopathy (pmn). In pmn/pmn mice, CGP 3466B was administered orally (10 - 100 nmol kg(-1)) at the onset of the clinical symptoms (2 weeks after birth). CGP 3466B slowed disease progression as determined by a 57% increase in life-span, preservation of body weight and motor performance. This improvement was accompanied by a decreased loss of motoneurons and motoneuron fibres as well as an increase in retrograde transport. Electron microscopic analysis showed that CGP 3466B protects mitochondria which appear to be selectively disrupted in the motoneurons of pmn/pmn mice. The data support evaluation of CGP 3466B as a potential treatment for motor neuron disease.

Topics: Administration, Oral; Animals; Apoptosis; Disease Models, Animal; Glial Cell Line-Derived Neurotrophic Factor; Glyceraldehyde-3-Phosphate Dehydrogenases; Mice; Mitochondria; Motor Neuron Disease; Motor Neurons; Nerve Growth Factors; Nerve Tissue Proteins; Oxepins; Weight Loss

The propargylamine derivative CGP 3466 (dibenzo[b,f]oxepin-10-ylmethyl-methyl-prop-2-ynyl-amine) has previously been found to exhibit neurorescuing and antiapoptotic properties in several in vitro and in vivo paradigms. After showing that this compound does not inhibit monoamine oxidase B and only marginally inhibits monoamine oxidase A at concentrations or doses far above those relevant for its reported neuroprotective effects, we investigated it in models considered relevant for Parkinson's disease. CGP 3466 or its hydrogen maleate salt, CGP 3466B, at concentrations between 10(-11) M and 10(-7) M, protected rat embryonic mesencephalic dopaminergic neurons in free-floating or dispersed cell culture from death inflicted by treatment with 1-methyl-4-phenyl pyridinium ion (MPP+) as measured by different readouts such as dopamine uptake, tyrosine hydroxylase activity, and counts of tyrosine hydroxylase-positive cells. Treatment of mice lesioned with 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP; 2x30 mg/kg s.c. at a 72-h interval) with CGP 3466 (0.1 mg/kg s.c.) or CGP 3466B (0.014 mg/kg and 0.14 mg/kg p.o.) b.i.d. for 18 days partially prevented the loss of tyrosine hydroxylase-positive cells in the substantia nigra; a lower dose of CGP 3466B (0.0014 mg/kg p.o.) showed a marginal effect, whereas a high dose, i.e. 1.4 mg/kg p.o., was ineffective, suggesting a bell-shaped dose-response relationship which has also been observed in other paradigms. The effect of CGP 3466 on motor function was evaluated in rats that received intrastriatal injections of 6-OHDA unilaterally, according to a four-site injection protocol, and that were subsequently treated b.i.d. with 0.014 mg/kg i.p. CGP 3466B for 3 weeks. After another 3 weeks without treatment, skilled paw use was assessed by means of the staircase test. The results indicated a significant improvement of skilled motor performance as measured by means of the number of eaten pellets. Since due to the long wash-out period a symptomatic effect of CGP 3466B can be ruled out, it is likely that this improvement was related to interference with the course of the degeneration of the dopaminergic neurons. In conclusion, our results indicate that CGP 3466 is able to prevent death of dopaminergic cells in in vitro and in vivo models of Parkinson's disease. In addition, treatment with CGP 3466 resulted in improved skilled motor performance in 6-OHDA-lesioned rats.

Topics: 1-Methyl-4-phenylpyridinium; Animals; Antiparkinson Agents; Brain; Cell Culture Techniques; Cell Death; Disease Models, Animal; Dopamine; Female; Liver; Mesencephalon; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Monoamine Oxidase; Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors; Neurons; Oxepins; Oxidopamine; Parkinsonian Disorders; Pregnancy; Rats; Selegiline; Substantia Nigra; Tritium; Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase

(-)-Deprenyl, used for the treatment of Parkinson's disease, was reported to possess neurorescuing/antiapoptotic effects independent of its MAO-B inhibiting properties. It is metabolized to (-)-desmethyldeprenyl, which seems to be the active principle, and further to (-)-amphetamine and (-)-methamphetamine, which antagonize its rescuing effects. These complications may explain the limited neurorescuing potential of (-)-deprenyl observed clinically. CGP 3466 (dibenzo[b,f]oxepin-10-ylmethyl-methyl-prop-2-ynyl-amine), structurally related to (-)-deprenyl, exhibits virtually no MAO-B nor MAO-A inhibiting properties and is not metabolized to amphetamines. It was shown to bind to glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, a glycolytic enzyme with multiple other functions including an involvement in apoptosis, and shows neurorescuing properties qualitatively similar to, but about 100-fold more potent than those of (-)-deprenyl in several in vitro and in vivo paradigms. In concentrations ranging from 10(-13)-10(-5) M, it rescues partially differentiated PC12 cells from apoptosis induced by trophic withdrawal, cerebellar granule cells from apoptosis induced by cytosine arabinoside, rat embryonic mesencephalic dopaminergic cells from death caused by MPP+, and PAJU human neuroblastoma cells from death caused by rotenone. However, it did not affect apoptosis elicited by a variety of agents in rapidly proliferating cells from thymus or skin or in liver or kidney cells. In vivo, it rescued facial motor neuron cell bodies in rat pups after axotomy, rat hippocampal CA1 neurons after transient ischemia/hypoxia, and mouse nigral dopaminergic cell bodies from death induced by MPTP, in doses ranging between 0.0003 and 0.1 mg/kg p.o. or s.c., depending on the model. It also partially prevented the loss of tyrosine hydroxylase immunoreactivity in the substantia nigra of 6-OHDA-lesioned rats and improved motor function in these animals. Moreover, it prolonged the life-span of progressive motor neuronopathy (pmn) mice (a model for ALS), preserved their body weight and improved their motor performance. This was accompanied by a decreased loss of motor neurons and motor neuron fibers, and protection of mitochondria. The active concentration- or dose-ranges in the different in vitro and in vivo paradigms were remarkably similar. In several paradigms, bell-shaped dose-response curves were observed, the rescuing effect being lost above about 1 mg/kg, a fact that must be considered in

Topics: Animals; Animals, Newborn; Brain; Cell Survival; Cells, Cultured; Disease Models, Animal; Glyceraldehyde-3-Phosphate Dehydrogenases; Ligands; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Neurons; Neuroprotective Agents; Oxepins; Parkinson Disease; Rats; Rats, Wistar; Selegiline

The propargylamine CGP 3466B prevents dopamine cell death both in vitro and in rodent models of Parkinson's disease. The present study investigates the efficacy of this compound to prevent the behavioral consequences of dopaminergic cell death in the best animal model of Parkinson's disease, the bilaterally MPTP-treated monkey. Rhesus monkeys were bilaterally treated with MPTP, using a two-step procedure: 2.50 mg MPTP was infused into the left carotid artery followed by a second bolus of 1.25 mg into the right carotid artery, 8 weeks later. Subcutaneous injection of either 0.014 mg/kg CGP 3466B (n = 4) or its solvent (distilled water; n = 4), twice daily for fourteen days, started two hours after the second MPTP infusion. A Parkinson rating scale was assessed for the evaluation of the effects. After the first MPTP treatment, the monkeys developed mild to moderate parkinsonian symptoms. The second MPTP treatment strongly increased the severity of Parkinson scores in all control monkeys, as assessed on day 3, 7, 14, 21, 28 and 35 after the second MPTP treatment. In contrast, CGP 3466B nearly completely prevented the increase of parkinsonian symptoms after the second MPTP treatment. The therapeutic effects of CGP 3466B were still present after a washout period of 3 weeks, implying that the effects were not symptomatic. These data are the first to show that the systemic administration of CGP 3466B is able to prevent the development of MPTP-induced motor symptoms in primates. This compound may have great value for inhibiting the progression of the neurodegenerative process in patients with Parkinson's disease.

Topics: Animals; Brain; Disease Models, Animal; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Macaca mulatta; Male; Neurons; Neuroprotective Agents; Oxepins; Pargyline; Parkinsonian Disorders; Propylamines